As businesses and technologies evolve, the demand for new skills is ever present in a competitive global job market and lifelong learning is essential for success. That is why PeopleCert announces the Continuing Professional Development Programme. The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Programme is designed to help candidates stay ahead in the competitive labour market. It aims to help candidates thrive in their chosen discipline and keep them up-to-date with the skills and best practices for their professional development. Part of this programme means that starting from 2023, all Global Best Practice certifications will need to be renewed after three years. This way PeopleCert can assist candidates in their lifelong journey and inspire them to keep on developing their professional skills. All certifications will have to be renewed every three years and there will be three main renewal paths available:

1. Retake the same exam: you can renew your certification by retaking the original exam before the renewal date.
2. Take further courses and certifications: you can renew your certifications by attending another course and taking another exam, within the same product suite, before the renewal date.
3. Collect and log CPD points (from March 2023): you can renew and keep your certification by collecting and logging so-called CPD (continuing professional development) points. More information will be provided soon.

Renewing a certification for current certification holders

If you are already certified in one of the Best Practices that PeopleCert offers, you will have to follow one of the above renewal paths in order to keep your certification. This means that:

• If certified before June 2020: candidates will have until 1 July 2023 to renew their certification, regardless of their original award date.
• If certified after June 2020: candidates will have to renew their certification(s) within 3 years of the original award date.

The Continuing Professional Development programme will be for all global best practice certification groups which include:

• ITIL® 4
• PRINCE2® 5th and 6th
• PRINCE2® Agile
• MSP®4th and 5th
• MoP®
• P3O®

For any questions, please reach out to us anytime.

From the 14th to the 27th November 2022 we offer you a 30% discount on all our E-learning courses!   Have a look at our E-Learning Offer:  

6 Reasons to choose an E-Learning Training

1. Explanatory videos: our experts created a series of clear and interactive videos to teach you the method, help you pass your exam(s), and apply it to your projects
2. Interactive readings: the interactive readings go deeper into some key concepts; so you can refer to these readings if you would like to learn more about the recommended actions when applying the method
3. Mock exam questions: in each lesson you will find a number of multiple choice questions to simulate the real exam experience
4. 6 months access minimum: take the time you need to study as you will have access to the online learning platform for 6 to 10 months (depending on the online course you chose), so within this time frame you can set your own schedule and divide the workload as you like
5. MemoTrainer: QRP uses the MemoTrainer™ system designed to challenge learners by selective repetition and smart exercises to activate knowledge and stimulate long term memory
6. Tutor support: our E-learning solution is based on an easy structure and meant to be self explanatory, however for any questions you might have you can contact your tutor about the lessons you just covered

The offer is valid from the 14th to the 27th of November and is limited to 3 E-learning packages per company. Book your E-learning now!   For any questions; feel free to contact us.

We are happy to announce that QRP International is one of the launching partners of the PM² Group. The PM² Group is a non-profit consortium of professionals and organisations that facilitate and promote the usage of the PM² project management methodology.

What is the PM² Project Management Methodology?

PM² is a project management methodology developed by the European Commission. Its purpose is to enable Project Managers to deliver solutions and benefits to their organisations by effectively managing the entire lifecycle of their projects. PM² has been developed and supported by the European Union Institutions, with their projects in mind but is transferable to projects in any organisation. Until the end of 2016, the PM² Methodology and Certification was only available to the staff of EU institutions. With the OpenPM² Initiative, the European Commission decided to provide open access to the PM² Project Management Methodology beyond purely EU institutions and including Contractors, Member States and finally all European citizens. PM² captures the experience of EU institutions from managing thousands of projects, change initiatives, programmes and grants.

What is the purpose of the PM² Group?

The purpose of the PM Group is to facilitate access to PM² learning materials, training, and PM² Certification for non-EU staff members. The PM² group is the first public PM² certification program to comply with the internal certification program of the European Commission for EU staff. Like all the other members, QRP International is an active contributor and supporter of the PM² Methodology and works to establish a foundation for better and more efficient European projects. The PM² Group is the first organisation to offer a public certification based on the internal certification guidelines of the European Commission with the same certification levels for theoretical and practical knowledge.

Why choose the PM² Group Certification?

The PM² Group offers PM² Project Management Methodology courses in accordance with the European Commission, Centre of Excellence in PM² (CoEPM²), to non-EU staff. QRP International is part of the PM² Group, the only certification institute that meets the European Commission’s standards. Both certification programmes have exams with the same covered topics, the required level of understanding, number of questions, passing score, and exam time. For the first time, non-EU staff can now be certified the same way as EU staff. In short, the PM² Group Certification:

• Offers a Programme and exam which align 100% to the EU syllabus
• Is equivalent to the internal EU Certification programme
• Is available in multiple European languages, among which English, French, Italian, Spanish & German

Who is the PM² Group Certification for?

PM² helps establish a common project management language and process for projects across organisations, increase effectiveness, collaboration efficiency and success in the coordination of projects in the EU. Using PM² is especially effective for managing projects within:

• European institutions
• Public Administrations and non-governmental organisations
• Service Providers to these administrations and institutions
• European coordinated or funded projects
• Private companies with a significant project portfolio

The PM² Foundation certification is aimed at Project Managers and aspiring Project Managers. It is also relevant to other key staff involved in the design, development and delivery of projects. Would you like to learn more about the PM² Project Management Methodology? Take a look at our website or write to us for more information!

Every year in October, the teams of the QRP Group, QRP International and QRPeople unite their forces to raise awareness for breast cancer. This year, we handed out "handmade" creations of Charlène and Manon from Atelier Celcius to have our employees proudly wear Pink October pins. In this way, QRP participates in its own way to support and raise awareness of the campaign against breast cancer. All profits of the pins are donated to the Breast Cancer Research.

Why Pink October?

In Luxembourg, breast cancer is the most common female cancer and the main cause of death among women aged 50 to 70. Among women, breast cancer accounts for an average of 82 deaths per year. The objective of Pink October is an organised screening programme within your country in order to detect breast cancer early and reduce mortality. If breast cancer is detected early, it can be cured in almost 90% of the cases. Pink October is a prevention campaign highlighting the risks of breast cancer and promoting scientific research as well as support for women and men (yes, men too!) who unfortunately are affected by this medical condition. Through our initiative (and all those organised around the world), we like to promote breast cancer screening.

Useful information:

• Think Pink Lux
• Programme Mammographie: women between the ages of 50 and 70 are encouraged to get screened by participating in the Health Directorate's organised breast cancer screening programme (in French)
• There are awareness and information days organised in the following hospitals: at Centre Hospitalier du Nord (CHDN) on 13 October, at Hôpital Kirchberg Robert Schuman (HRS) and at Centre Hospitalier du Luxembourg (CHL) on 18 October, at ZithaKlinik on 20 October and at Centre Hospitalier Emile Mayrisch (CHEM) on 21 October 2022.

What if you took advantage of the Summer to learn? Combining business with pleasure is now possible with QRP International's E-learning solution. This summer, we offer you a 25% discount on all our E-learning packages! Did you know that if you take one hour of training a day, you could be certified in less than a month? Alternatively, you can extend your learning time until Fall or Winter.     Have a look at our E-learning offer and choose between: - PRINCE2 Foundation - PRINCE2 Practitioner - PRINCE2 Combi - AgilePM Foundation - ITIL Foundation What better way to showcase your skills and stand out to recruiters before the start of the new school year than with a new certification? Our E-learning courses are available 100% in French or English. Learn when you want, where you want! The offer is valid until 31/08/2022 and is limited to 3 E-learning packages per company. Book your E-learning now!

QRP International Luxembourg is looking for freelance trainers! Are you our new colleague? Read below to find out what trainers we are looking for, who we are and what we stand for.

Who are we?

QRP International is one of the major players in the Best Practice Training market in Europe. We support trainers in the development of their skills and in the successful implementation of these Management Best Practices through our Train the Trainer Programme. QRP International is a fast growing and dynamic company, with a young and results driven atmosphere. Today we are looking for enthusiastic freelance trainers that could help us educate people in Project Management and/or IT Service Management in Luxembourg.

Quality, Results and People

We are dedicated to providing high Quality and believe that all QRP services must deliver Results. With over 15 years of experience we know what is required to make training successful. Last but definitely not least: we believe that People make the difference. Providing and maintaining a highly skilled and motivated team is the key to our success. QRP guarantees this attention to People by selecting and hiring certified and internationally experienced staff, trainers and consultants. Our annual QRP Days, our Train the Trainer Programme and extensive internal training programs are part of our commitment to People.

Why QRP

QRP is a structured and organised training Partner. Our operations team is always ready to provide 360-degree support to our trainers, starting from the organisation of a course up, followed by the delivery of the programme and ending with the follow-up of a course. In a nutshell, we offer our employees:

- International working environment (our team counts 10 nationalities!) - We practice what we say: QRP invests in the training of its resources - We are based in Como (Italy), a stone's throw from the beautiful Como lake - Possibility of remote working - Extensive Trainer support from A to Z

Current Open Positions

Best Practice Trainer Project Management PRINCE2/MSP/MoP/P3O/AgilePM (TRPM2022LUX) Best Practice Trainer IT Service Management ITIL/DevOps (TRIT2022LUX) Interested? Please send your CV with motivation and reference TRPM2022LUX or TRIT2022LUX to luxembourg@qrpinternational.com. Please note that the candidate should be based in Luxembourg, Belgium, France or Germany and eligible to work in Europe with understanding of the market in Luxembourg.    

Trainer Testimonial: Meet Stijn Janssens

What is your current role and what is it that you actually do? How did you arrive as a trainer and senior consultant at QRP?

I am a trainer and consultant in best practices on project, programme and portfolio management (PPM). This means that I train people in published best practice standards that could lead to recognised certification. But I do not stop there, I get out of the theory and get my boots in the mud: I also help organisations translate the theory into their context and "operationalise" it. This can take the form of one or a few sound boarding sessions, over providing regular assurance throughout the implementation, or even taking the lead in a customer's transformation towards the next level of maturity in PPM.

What are the biggest issues/changes you see in the Project Management community right now?

Organisations often have a one-size-fits-all approach: they define a process and governance model that every project should implement. That might look easy, but in reality it leads to a lot of inefficiencies and frustrations for the PMs. Furthermore, projects are of such importance in organisations nowadays, but still there are few organisations that have the PM side of the organisation represented high enough in the org chart to give it the needed focus.

What is your experience in working for QRP?

I really like to work with QRP. As a trainer, they want you to do what you're good at: sharing expertise. They always go out of their way to remove anything that hinders you in doing so. There is clear communication with the participants before and throughout the course, and any questions you might have are swiftly answered. QRP staff's customer focused mindset certainly extends to trainers as well. Also in terms of scheduling courses, working with QRP is great. There is always a dialogue on availability and opportunities. On this point as well, they always look for a flexible solution that suits both the trainer and the customer.” QRP is continuously improving and adapting to changes in the market, but they will always involve the trainers and take their points of view into account. Working with QRP truly feels like a partnership. Stijn Janssens Stijn Janssens is a trainer and senior consultant, specialised in project, programme and portfolio management. He has both thorough theoretical and practical insights in managing projects. Driven by a constant need to improve and to challenge the status quo, he is passionate about making people and disciplines work together to achieve great results. Stijn trained several hundreds of people in the PPM Best Practices and he managed projects for private companies and for the European Commission. Before taking on freelance consulting assignments he worked for a Big4 consultancy firm.  Stijn holds an MBA, a postgraduate degree in IT Management, a Master in Management, and two Masters in Philosophy.  He is a PMP, a certified PRINCE2, MSP MoP and P3O Practitioner, and holds Lean IT Foundations and ITIL Foundations certifications.